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Queen of Sheba · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 397

Have you ever been shocked by the actions of a fellow teacher? Do you remember the craziest teacher you have ever met while working in Saudi Arabia? What did he or she do?

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

omanized · Joined: 04 Jun 2006 Posts: 152

A teacher who told students on the day of exam that it was good that they prayed five times a day because "they would need it" to pass.

A real bitter, arrogant and spiteful man full of anger and frustration. I wish I could have given him a good knock on the head but no matter, he was fired within the month.

A guy who never cleaned his apartment - I mean dishes upon dishes, grease and crud caked on every surface, bugs on top of other bugs - and he was a "revert" who wore a dishdasha and acted relatively uppity about it all - he must have missed the parts in the qur'an and sur'aa's about cleanliness and hygene.

A rooftop pot plant on the shared apartment complex ? Clever.......

A woman who phoned the PRO at midnight demanding a wooden spoon for the furnished apartment.

That was a sample of 2005-2006 - who knows what the next year will bring !

omzd

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The employee of Saudi Arabian Airlines who used to befriend feral cats in Saudia City (Khaledey6ah) for long enough to catch them, doctor them and ship them back to Arizona where he released them in the desert.

And I am talking not about 2 or 3 cats but lots !

Apparently most of the cats did not survice long, but the humanoid was happy and in the nature of things that is what is important.

As for those who have seen the light and 'reverted' I could tell a few humdingers about some of them !

Van Norden · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 409

I don't think any of my colleagues are "crazy." I see other maladies and shortcomings but not insanity. But they all think I'm mad. They truly "shake their heads and look at me as if I've lost my mind." I really couldn't care less. I know what I'm doing; I've never been so sure about anything I've done in my life.

If they were right, I'd agree, but it's them they know not me

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Almost every place I worked had a person or two who obsessed about the feral dogs and cats. My neighbor in Oman used to trap all the cats and dogs and have them spayed. She would meet the fisherman and fill her freezer with sardines to feed the whole crew. I always figured it was her money and if she wanted to do that... no problem. But I heard that she took 20+ of the cats when she left.

Then there was the fellow that rescued all the feral dogs and his poor neighbors felt that they were living in a kennel. He had one favorite dog who slept with him and when she died, he took her out and buried her in the desert. So far not too odd.... but he then proceeded to go out regularly and dig her up to 'talk' to her.

These two didn't happen in KSA, but as I recall both of them were there at some time in their long careers.

VS

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

I wonder what the ratio is of psychonaut:normal(?) on Dave's is..

Cleopatra · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject:

So many crackpots, so little time.....

Here's a sampler of a few of the weirdos I have known in my years in the K of SA. These are just those who spring to mind right now - no doubt there are more.

- The one who got into a row with her students, who ended up saying "We hate you teacher!" Whereupon said 'teacher' puffs herself up and shouts "Well!!!! I hate you and your god!" Amazingly enough, she was not reprimanded for this. This person also physically threatened her colleagues on more than one occasion, and enjoyed showing off the sharp knife she took with her on the college bus. Said knife was ostensibly for apple peeling purposes, but noone was quite prepared to believe this.

- The one who wanted to have security cameras installed in her apartment because she was convinced that 'they' were coming in, downloading 'stuff' on her computer and stealing her 'candy bars'. This person also refused to order from the local pizzeria as she was certain that 'they' would poison her pizza en route to her house. She also refused to get water delivered, for similar reasons.

- The 'ex' military type who loved telling students what a paradise on earth occupied (my word, of course not hers) Iraq was. When this nonsense elicited the inevitable outraged reaction from offended students, GI Jane would complain, with great indignation, about how 'political' Saudi women were.

- The one who kept a Ramadhan-ish schedule all year round, rising at four in the morning to cook and eat a large meal, and then letting nothing pass her lips all day long. No, not even an 'iftar'. This person was not even 'allowed' to give her phone number to colleagues, and her husband refused to let her leave the house without his express permission. And she happily went along with it - although she did bravely sneak out to the supermarket on occasions when her 'roommate' was away on business.

That's just a selection. No doubt there are plenty more where those came from.